LEER - Lead Supervision Production 2nd Shift

Leer Group•Elkhart, IN

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Operations Lead oversees daily floor activities to ensure high-quality, efficient fabrication of custom fiberglass truck caps and tonneau covers. This position facilitates a cross-functional team across the entire lamination, finishing, and assembly streams. The ideal candidate ensures production schedules are met, material waste is reduced, metric tracking boards are meticulously maintained, and standard operating procedures (SOPs) are closely followed. This is a high-visibility, shift-based floor role reporting directly to the Director of Operations.

Requirements

3+ years of hands-on experience in a fast-paced plant manufacturing environment.
Deep familiarity with open-mold fiberglass lamination, composite manufacturing, or automotive body manufacturing.
Core understanding of exothermic chemical reactions, catalyst ratios (MEKP), resins, and gel coatings.
Ability to work on your feet in a loud, temperature-variable environment and lift up to 50 lbs.
High school diploma or GED equivalent.

Nice To Haves

Technical certificates in composites or Lean manufacturing are highly valued.

Responsibilities

Execute and distribute daily production targets based on order volume and backlog metrics.
Manage workflow across gel coat application, open/closed mold lamination, pull/cut/grind, and hardware assembly.
Move personnel dynamically to balance mold cure times with assembly line pacing.
Control the daily consumption of raw materials, glass fiber, resins, and catalyst compounds.
Inspect gel finishes, structural thicknesses, and perimeter edges for delamination or pinholes.
Keep lamination bays, tool rooms, chopping guns, and curing areas organized and clean.
Supervise drum labeling, hazardous fluid movement, acetone recycling, and regulatory manifest logging.
Correct resin-to-catalyst ratios immediately when temperature or humidity impacts chemical reactions.
Track output against target goals manually or digitally on visual boards every hour.
Gather the team around the visual tracking board for daily 5-minute kickoff meetings.
Chart rejection rates for gel coat defects or lamination air pockets to highlight trends.
Post updated counts of consecutive days without a recordable shop accident or near-miss.
Display weekly fiberglass fabric and resin waste percentages clearly for the crew.
Monitor completed truck cap counts versus the daily customer shipping manifest.
Document why goals were missed directly on the board using red/green color tracking.
Mentor a workforce spanning temporary floor hands to highly skilled gel-gun technicians.
Mandate strict use of respirators, protective Tyvek suits, hearing protection, and safety glasses.
Handle shift huddles, log hours, and report disciplinary needs to Human Resources.
Report near-misses and execute immediate corrective actions for shop floor hazards.